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Biggles Flies North/plot
Biggles Gets a Letter Biggles gets a letter from Wilks. In it, Wilks relates how he, after Bolivia, he had ended up in Canada and had set up an airline to fly cargo to and from a gold field called Moose Creek. He had bought land and opened an airfield at Fort Beaver, the nearest railhead, and his operations seemed to be going well until recently when several men, led by one "Brindle" Jake McBain had moved onto the land, built their own shed and began flying the same route, essentially, jumping his claim. McBain also challenged Wilks' title to the land and to his horror, he found that he could not prove that the seller, one Angus Stirling, had good title to begin with. Things had become worse: Wilks' aircraft had been sabotaged and one of his pilots killed. Wilks tells Biggles that if disappears or end up dead, would Biggles please settle the score with McBain for him. Fort Beaver Biggles, Algy, Ginger and Smyth arrive at Fort Beaver in a Bluewing Jupiter. There is no sign of Wilks. Immediately after landing, they meet McBain and his cronies and they appear to have ransacked Wilks' office and are dismantling his buildings. Things begin to turn ugly but are interrupted by the arrival of the local mountie Delaney. Like Biggles, Delaney wants to know what became of Wilks. McBain would only say he was last seen taking off and heading north. Biggles decides to go in search of him. A Satisfactory Trip Biggles and co. spot a plane on the ground enroute from Fort Beaver to Moose Creek. It's Wilks. He had force-landed because McBain had sabotage his fuel leads. They transfer Wilks' freight to Biggles' plane. Then, leaving Smyth and Algy behind to repair Wilks' Rockheed, the others fly back to Fort Beaver for the night. They would deliver Wilks' freight to Moose Creek in the morning. At Fort Beaver, McBain tries to trick our friends by laying a false flare path but this doesn't fool Biggles and he lands safely. At the Three Star Saloon Leaving Wilks to guard their plane in the shed, Biggles and Ginger head to the Three Star saloon at Fort Beaver to buy supplies. There they meet an old man Mose Jacobs who tells them he's a part of Angus Stirling. According to Mose, Angus still has the transfer, the legal document which gave title to the airfield and would pass it to Wilks at the first opportunity. Mose says he plans to leave the next day to join Angus at his prospecting claim at Muskeg Bend off Eskimo Island, a remote location which was even further north than Moose Creek. Biggles senses a good opportunity and offers to fly Mose there so that they can pick up the transfer at the same time. They agree to meet at the airfield the next morning. Ginger notices their plans have been overheard by McBain and his cronies who are also at the bar. But there's nothing they can do to interfere, Biggles reassures Ginger. Ginger Goes Scouting Back at the airfield, Ginger goes out scouting after a quick dinner. He stealthily approaches the hut belonging to McBain. The other gang members are there and McBain is seen just entering. The others tell him he has been away a long time but he instructs them to say in no uncertain terms that he has been with them all evening. Ginger also overhears them discussing their plan to steal the next shipment of gold from Moose Creek. A Staggering Blow The next morning, the mountie Delaney arrives to question Biggles and co. Mose, he tells them, had been clubbed to death the night before. Biggles is shocked but they must still find Angus. Without Mose, Angus would not have his food supply for the winter so Biggles offers Delaney to carry it them for him. Fortunately, Ginger had learnt the name of Angus' claim, although it is not shown on the map. The Jupiter Heads Northward Leaving Wilks to guard the his property at Fort Beaver, Biggles and Ginger take off and reach Moose Creek. Canwell, the traffic manager is glad to see his freight arrive. He gives them directions to Muskeg Bend. He also tells them one of McBain's aircraft had just shown up and had taken on a load of freight, although strangely, Biggles had not met the aircraft as they should have if it was heading back for Fort Beaver. Canwell then told Biggles he had a load of gold to be fetched the next day but he would give it to whoever shows up first, Biggles or McBain. A Grim Encounter Biggles and Ginger head north towards Muskeg Bend but are intercepted by a Weinkel flown by McBain's men Joe Sarton and Jean Chicot. Chicot shoots at the Jupiter with a machine gun. Ginger attempts to reply with a signal pistol while Biggles takes evasive action but even this hopelessly mismatched fight has to end when Ginger runs out of cartridges. Next he has another idea: while Biggles positions the Jupiter above the Weinkel, Ginger hurls a crate of corned beef at it. The box strikes the wing and breaks it off, causing the Sarton and Chicot to crash to their deaths. Down in a Frozen World Despite their successful combat, the Jupiter has been damaged. It's tanks are holed and Biggles has to forceland when the engines run out of fuel. Down on the frozen wasteland, Ginger thinks he spots a light in the distance. It might be Angus? They load up with as much food as they can carry and head for it. A Desparate Meeting On the way, Biggles and Ginger have their obligatory meeting with a polar bear. There's nothing for it: they must fight it off with their pistols. Fortunately, Angus shows up and delivers the killing shot. An Unpleasant Shock Biggles passes Angus the news that Mose has been murdered and also tells him what had happened to them. Angus believes them. They spend the time ferrying Angus' supplies from the crashed Jupiter to Angus' hut. There is hope that Algy and Wilks would come looking for them but Angus is worried that heavy snow might soon start to fall. On their last trip to the Jupiter to fetch supplies, they hear aircraft engines and light a fire to attract it. But jubilation turns to shock: it's a Weinkel flown by one of McBain's men, "Tex" Ferroni and McBain himself! A One-Sided Duel The Weinkel strafes the Jupiter but fails to do any damage. It turns away but only because it has spotted a Rockheed approaching. Algy and Wilks on the Rockheed have also been attracted by Biggles' fire and are so engrossed they fail to see their attacker until it is too late. The Rockheed is heavily damaged but Algy and Wilks, through superb flying, manage to crashland without serious injury. There's still hope. The Rockheed's fuel supply is intact. They can repair the damage to the Jupiter's tanks and transfer the fuel over and make their getaway. Southward Again The repairs are completed and Biggles and co. get ready to leave. Angus wants to stay. He hands the transfer to Wilks and also passes Biggles a bag of gold. It belongs to Mose and he wants him to hand it to the old man's daughter in Vancouver. The Jupiter reaches Moose Creek where Canwell tells them McBain has just shown up and has just departed with a load of gold, the largest consignment the mine has ever sent. An Unexpected Landing Biggles and co. take off and try to follow the Weinkel. They spot it landing at a remote log cabin far to the west of Fort Beaver. They think McBain must be hiding the stolen gold there. On returning to Fort Beaver, Biggles and co. are surprised to see McBain with the Moose Creek crates which he delivers to the bank messenger. What is going on? Under Arrest Shortly after this, Delaney approaches Biggles and co. to question them. The crates had contained lead. Yet the seals were intact when they were delivered at Fort Beaver so the gold must have been switched at Moose Creek. As Biggles and co. had landed at Moose Creek, he tells them they are under suspicion until the gold is found. Delaney searches Wilks' premises and finds the pouch of gold belonging to Mose. He does not believe the story that Angus had given it to them to hand to Mose's daughter and so he arrests Biggles, Algy and Wilks for the murder of old man. Ginger Acts Ginger had been at the rear of the hangar making tea and so Delaney fails to notice him. He makes a break for the Jupiter and is able to take off. After pondering what to do, he decides to head for McBain's log cabin. He might find some useful clue there. Ginger lands at the log cabin and approaches it. He spots a rifle barrel sticking out from a window and tries to jump aside but is sent pitching forward as the weapon is fired. A New Peril As Delaney brings Biggles, Algy and Wilks into town, McBain goes ahead and stirs up the crowd, telling them that our friends were the ones who killed Mose. The crowd becomes riotous and wants to lynch them. Delaney persuades them to give them a "trial" and the prisoners are taken to the Three Stars Saloon. There, Biggles almost succeeds in calming the crowd down but McBain stirs them up again, forcing Delaney and our friends to beat a hasty retreat through the back exit while the bartender holds the rioters off. They dash to the jailhouse as the only safe refuge. Trapped Now even Delaney is in trouble as the crowd refuses to listen to him and attempts to storm the jailhouse and he has to hold them off with gunfire. A stone with a message comes through the window. Smyth had been left to guard the airfield when ALgy and Wilks had flown off to search for Biggles and Ginger. Since then he has kept a low profile and avoided Delaney's attention. Now he tells them he has saddled up Delaney's mare to go to Blackfoot Point for police reinforcements. But will they arrive in time? Eventually, Delaney's ammunition runs out. The jailhouse is set on fire forcing the refugees inside to evacuate. Biggles, Algy and Wilks are taken to a tree near the airfield and nooses are placed around their necks. A Life and Death Struggle The story rewinds to Ginger. He had not been hit by the rifle but the shock had caused him to pitch forward. He pretends to be dead to try to take his attacker by surprise. The assailant turns out to be another of McBain's men, an unnamed Indian. Ginger scuffles with him and after a protracted combat, appears to get the better of him, taking possession of the rifle and sending him running off. Ginger enters the log cabin and searches it but does not find the gold. Then he looks around to where he left the rifle. It is gone! Lost Concerned now about the safety of the Jupiter, Ginger is forced to leave the log cabin, braving the Indian's rifle fire. Now comes the second wild animal encounter as a pack of wolves set on Ginger. He makes a dash for the Jupiter and manages to get inside, shutting the cabin door just in time. At length, the wolves seem to lose interest in him and begin hovering near the log cabin and Ginger notices why: the Indian is trapped on the cabin roof with the wolves surrounding him. The Prisoner Speaks Ginger hears the Indian cry for help so he starts one engine of the Jupiter. The noise is enough to send the wild animals scurrying. Ginger takes the Indian prisoner and succeeds in frightening him about being involved in the murder of Mose. The Indian decides to cooperate. He shows Ginger the hiding place of the gold in the cabin floor and testifies that McBain had killed Mose--he had seen Mcbain wipe blood off his rifle stock with a towel. The Indian has been wounded and is cold. Ginger notices McBain's distinctive fur coat and hands it to him. There's something sharp and metallic in the fold of the sleeve. At dawn, Ginger has the gold loaded onto the Jupiter and takes off with the Indian for Fort Beaver. At the Eleventh Hour Ginger reaches Fort Beaver just as the crowd is about to tighten the nooses. He overflies the assembly and drops a bag of gold. The sack still has the Moose Creek markings on it. The mystery silences and calms the mob, allowing Delaney to take charge. Ginger lands and presents his new evidence. He has the gold from the log cabin. He has also found a fake Moose Creek brand which McBain used to reseal the crates after removing the gold. Then there is the testimony of the Indian and finally, most damning of all, Ginger shows the sharp object in McBain's coat--it's Mose's tie pin which everyone recognises. The mob is convinced and now try to seize McBain and Ferroni but they manage to push through the crowd and run towards the Jupiter. They almost make it but Captain Lanton and mountie reinforcements arrive on scene and cut them off. McBain shoots at the riders but ends up being shot dead himself. Ferroni gives himself up. Conclusion Biggles and co. are exonerated of the murder. With McBain out of the way, Wilks is offered a contract to ferry the Moose Creek gold. Wilks invites them to become partners in the venture but Biggles is unwilling to be tied down. Our friends stay until Wilks has his operation properly set up and then take their leave. Category:Plot summaries